Life behind the SQUARES with Sarah Anderson

On top of that, really, there's a part of me that just thinks it's... rude?

I can understand taking your own little picnic with you on a day out to the zoo, where the main income for said venue is the animals, not the food. But to bring your own food into an establishment that sells food, and relies entirely on that food being sold to keep afloat, cover costs, pay wages and pay bills, results in substantial loss of income. 

So, in short, we don't accept food being brought onto the premises because of the risks associated with doing so. We are a very flexible place to eat, the majority of our foods can be made to suit, for specific dietary requirements and optional food choices. 

What did help was the willingness to adapt, to change and adjust accordingly, and to essentially "wing it" through. 

All I know is that, right now, we are doing what we want and need to do for the current circumstances we exist in. The most we do for the future is make plans for the days and weeks ahead: booking events; ordering ingredients; making, baking and creating; taking it day by day. Knowing that one day it could all come to a halt, or it could soar, we won't know until we get there. 

I craved the freedom and flexibility of being my own boss...

I signed a 5-year lease to a factory unit in Southend in November 2017, and officially moved in there the following January. The relief was amazing. We had our home back, we could expand now however we wanted, and I could share the load with others. It wasn't solely on my shoulders anymore... or so I thought! 

I never expected what followed - in both the best and worst ways!